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I have very strong opinions about guacamole. Fortunately for all of our sakes, this isn’t the kind of site devoted to didactic culinary lectures; it’s not that my way is right and your way is wrong. [Don’t I sound so mature today?] If you love guacamole with chopped tomatoes, or red onion instead of white, lemon instead of lime or, like a former president of the United States, with garlic in it (shudder), you should just go ahead and keep doing you. You’re cooking for you, not me. And I will eat it, preferably with a salt-rimmed margarita or paloma. I have never turned guacamole away; I am not a monster.

But, ahem, my way is so much better! [Welp, the high ground was fun while it lasted.] My favorite guacamoles are more like an avocado salad with a minced white onion, chile and cilantro flavor bomb of a lime dressing. I make it first, right in the bottom of the bowl. I do not skimp on the lime but I basically never do with citrus. Then, you score up your avocado halves, scoop them in and gently turn to coat them in the dressing. Taste for salt and flavors and adjust everything to your liking. You’re done!

Or, you can start mashing the chunks a bit with a fork agains the side of the bowl but I urge you to proceed with caution. What has been mashed can never be un-mashed. If you’re using guacamole as sauce, go ahead and smash it up. If you, like me, like it rather chunky, go easy on it. If your avocados are ripe to the point of basically already being avocado butter, well, the avocado has chosen its textural fate and we must respect its wishes.

What’s most important is that even if you come around to agree that this is the best way, you cannot tell others who are making guacamole for you their favorite way or they might stop and then you will have less guacamole in your life. I think we can all agree that even imperfect guacamole is better than no guacamole.

Guacamole

I always thought I was relatively alone in this approach of a minced vinaigrette coating an avocado chunk salad — most guacamoles I see are much chunkier or blended to a full paste — until I found my guacamole kin in chef Roberto Santibañez’s version in his 2011 Truly Mexican book as showcased in Food52’s Genius Recipes column and book. The levels of each ingredients are slightly different and it’s mashed in a molcajete (big, heavy mortar and pestle) instead of minced on a cutting board and it’s excellent. But I still revert to my way when I make it.

Avocado-buying tip: I like the ones that feel like a Pinky ball, or with slightly more give. [Pet peeve alert!] Please don’t pull the stems out of them to check; it ruins all the ones you leave behind for others.

Do you have to make your own tortilla chips? No, that’s just for crazy people and/or people who bought a gazillion soft corn tortillas a few months ago and even with a serious taco habit, cannot get through them. Should you feel so inspired, cut your small corn tortillas into 8 wedges a neutral oil, heat a puddle of neutral oil over medium until a droplet of water dropped in hisses and sputters and fry the chips, flipping as needed, for a couple minutes on the first side and usually just one on the second. Look for golden edges but take them out slightly on the pale side as they like to keep cooking for a short bit. Drain on paper towels or a paper bag and immediately sprinkle with fine salt; it doesn’t stick the same if you sprinkle it on once they’re cool.

Mix the onion, jalapeño and cilantro in the bottom of a medium bowl. Add lime and salt. Cut avocado in half and remove the pit. Use a knife to score each half in a grid pattern, being careful not to cut through the skin of the avocado. Run a soup spoon between the avocado and skin to scoop the chunks cleanly into the bowl. Turn them over a few times to coat them with the dressing. Taste mixture, adding more of other ingredients to taste. Use a fork to mash chunks to desired consistency, or not at all. Try not to eat this bowl by yourself, although it will be hard.

175 comments on guacamole

hey, Guaccamole is a personal thing, lol. It’s my favorite way to eat an avocado, though my hubby says it’s killing it. :) Anyway – I mash…don’t really like chunks. And sometimes I add some salsa, sometimes sour cream…but I don’t really add much to it, I like the pure avocado taste. But what I wanted to say is baking the chips are an awesome way to do it too. I bake them on a sprayed cookie sheet at 450 for about 3 minutes…you have to watch them, they do scorch easily. But, anyway, we do that all the time, cheaper than the bagged and lots less salty. :)

Totally with you on the generous lime, and plenty of jalapeño and cilantro. I do like garlic and tomato in mine, though! I’m pretty neutral on the kind of onion. Red, white, yellow, or even green on occasion are all fine with me.

My friends have been holding an Annual Guac-Off for years now, like 7 or 8 (in Cambridge, MA) and I’ve served as a judge for a number of them. There have been some really great ones, like ones with roasted corn, the tropical, with pineapple and mango, the cannoli, with sweetened mascarpone, and the Italian, with pesto and sundried tomatoes. I know some people are turning up their noses as they read this, but the pea guac debacle opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. And really, isn’t now the right moment in history to have an open mind? Although, I do object to my friend’s insistence on whirling his avocados in a food processor and adding mayo. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Hahaha. I always puzzled over the American way of flavouring everything – from coffee to popcorn and beyond – with things that make them taste quite different from the real thing. This habit has now spread to other parts of the world and I just.dont.get.it!
Still, to each his or her own. PS Maybe I’m a bit cranky – I’ve had no added sugar since 31 December!

I like almost all guacamole, although too many winter tomato chunks is a turn-off. My current favorite, quick recipe uses a minced chipotle chile in adobo (freeze the rest of the can as individual ‘doses’), cilantro, lime and salt. Not too spicy, and the lime and the cilantro amp up the ‘fresh’ to balance the spicy/oily of the chile and avocado.

“If your avocados are ripe to the point of basically already being avocado butter, well, the avocado has chosen its textural fate and we must respect its wishes.” Your writing is my favorite thing. And, of course, your food — this guacamole looks like just what I like!

I’m with you – Deb could write fiction non fiction have a column in The NY Times. She has such a way with words & her cooking is amazing. Love our blog too.
I’m Mexican American living in southwest and I love all guacamole need to try this with the chipotle but the fresh jalepenos are my favorite. My mom would roast them add green onion garlic, just a touch & tomatos.

Deb, you understand me. This is EXACTLY how I make mine. Heavy on lime/cilantro/jalapeno, chunky and barely mashed, and DEFINITELY no garlic or tomato (I live for tomatoes in all other applications but can’t stand the way their juices run into the avocado in guac). This is perfection. And now I want guac.

It’s a work in progress. I still do not delight in a fresh fistful of it over food but I will now enjoy it (rather than just tolerate it) with complementary flavors that relegate it to more of a supporting role. I’m trying!

Love guac and Love that you posted a guac for the purists (like me!) The ombré of inside an avocado is also just so perfect, eh? Deb, have you ever made a guac ahead of time ? If so, how many days in advance would you recommend and any tricks on keeping it from browning ? I sometimes feel the need to use up those avocados before they go rogue.

A few tricks I’ve learned to keep quac from going brown – thin layer of olive oil on the top and cover with plastic wrap pressed down to the top layer of the guac. And my fav trick I learned on a trip to Mexico, cooking along side a local lady I was helping clean up and as I went to refrigerate the guac I noticed the pits were mixed in. I went to pitch these in the garbage thinking it was an oversight when the lady started speaking frantically in Spanish at me. My friend interpreted and I learned that the pits are kept in to keep it from browning. Since then I’ve always left at least one pit in when I make a big batch and have never had it go brown.

Yes, growing up in California I was also taught to always leave in a pit in the mix until serving.

I really miss coming home from a trip to California with a suitcase full of avocados grown by family members. For those of you fortunate enough to pack avocados in your luggage, my best tip is to put them inside your shoes!

Guac freezes! When perfect avocados are plentiful and affordable I make batches, put it into freezer bags and smooth out all of the air (prevents browning). After thawing in the fridge it may need a quick stir to even out the texture, but that’s it. I am in the creamy guac camp, so am not sure how the texture of chopped onion would survive freeze/thaw, but just freezing the avocado and then adding fresh additions whenever you thaw it would probably work well.

I make a hummus guacamole dip (yes,garlic, olive oil and lemon, plus garbanzos) & it lasts quite awhile, days. Its my idea of a high fiber riff on quac. When I serve it at parties, I’ll put a well of roasted diced jalapeños in the middle so foks can dial the heat.

If you’re looking for another cilantro adventure, the Gaon dal in Madhur Jaffrey’s “At Home with Madhur Jaffrey” uses more cilantro than any recipe I’ve ever tried. And yet it’s still subtle in the end, and really delightful. I highly recommend it! Especially served over roasted cauliflower.

I hated cilantro for a very long time, but I am one of those people who have a ‘cilantro switch’ and one day it just flipped to ON and now I love the stuff. In fact, it may have flipped when I had guacamole with cilantro in it; heaven knows I never put it in mine … though I did add tomato. Now THAT switch (tomato in my guac) was turned to OFF and I am a “purist.”

I’m pretty much in your camp, flavor wise, tho I do mash a little more. My “trick”s are 1: I use a shallot, minced. Great flavor no leftover chunk of onion. And I buy a bottle of Coriander Chutney in the Indian foods aisle. It is a past4e of cilantro, lime, and chile pepper and keeps forever in the fridge. A spoonful of that, some extra lime, salt and shallot and it’s perfect: no half bunch of slimy cilantro and shriveled half a pepper in the bottom of the drawer!

Which store/s stock this variety? Looking online at Wegmans, which has a reasonable international selection, the Laxmi Brand corriander chutney has some extra ingredients like coconut and ginger, but no lime. The coconut and ginger might taste good in guac, but I was really hoping to find the one you’re raving about!

Putting tomatoes in is no less purist than putting citrus in. Look up guacamole recipes by Mexican chefs and there’s rarely citrus. If you don’t like the tomatoes and do like the citrus, great–make it your way. But neither is more authentic or purer than the other. They’re both variations.

MK, the bowl looks like one of a set of glass nesting bowls that I have at home and have loved and used for years. Luminarc makes them, and so does Anchor Hocking. The latter is a cheaper set from Wal-Mart. Just Google ‘glass nesting bowls’. Feel free to correct me, Deb, if I am totally wrong.

My go-to guacamole consists of a container of pico de gallo (finely diced tomatoes, onion and cilantro), salt, pepper, and two medium-large ripe avocados mashed a bit more than yours but still with some chunks. I, too, will eat almost any guacamole concoction except for that disgusting runny stuff they sell pre-made at the grocery stores here in California. That’s not guacamole.

No… no garlic? Deb, I thought I knew you, I really did. Not that this doesn’t sound lovely, mind you, I just can’t imagine guacamole without a little pureed garlic (just mushed with the flat of the knife and a little salt). But de gustibus non est disputandum :)

I’ll definitely be testing this recipe as I love all things avocado. Absolutely agree about being generous with the lime juice and cilantro. I like to use a very fine grater or rasp for the white onion, which results more or less in juicy onion puree — you get the flavour but no chunks. Garlic (a little) goes in or out depending on what else the guacamole is being served with. I also enjoy a dash of ground cumin in mine.

You can check by carefully (!) pressing with the thumb near the stem for stage of softness. Also, you can buy several avocados with different stages of ripeness and eat them throughout the next days as they ripen. And (food sience alert…) if you keep unripe avocados in one bowl with apples those avocados ripen faster due to the ethylene that evaporates from the apples.
Happy avocado-shopping :-) Sina

I gently squeeze them with my thumbtip near the middle, just enough for what would bruise a ripe peach. If I make a dent, it goes in my bag. (Obviously once I’ve dented it, I’m not going to put it back!)

Part of the trick is finding out in which stores this method will get you ripe avocados, and which stores it will get you avocados that are going brown and spoilt.

Sometimes I want it chunky. Sometimes smooth.
It depends on the avocados. Here, one must make do. Years ago, I had an avocado tree in my front yard, and things were different.
I can go basic (avocado, salt, pepper) or all out, with cilantro, tomatoes, red peppers, lemon or lime juice and who knows what all. Open door!
Chips should be up to the task. If you are disappointed, they are the first to blame.

This former Californian disagrees with you on the garlic. I usually finely mince (almost to a paste) a large, mild clove for every two avocados or so. And I grate my white onion so you get the flavor but no crunch. I’m sure I didn’t come up with that on my own, but can’t remember where I read/heard the idea. Other than that, all I add is salt and lime juice. I am totally with you though on the start-more-chunky-than-you’ll-want-since-you-can’t-unmash concept. A nice mix of chunks and the natural smush level you get stirring everything together gives me my ideal texture.

Chunky not creamy, red onion, lime, glug of olive oil, sea salt and a couple pinches of cumin. Now I’m thinking about your avocado-shrimp salsa. I wish I had avocados. And shrimp. It’s too cold to go back outside, so I’ll have to wait for another day!

This sounds just about right to me. It is amazing what just a little sour cream can do…my dear mother in law taught me that. The only thing that really drives me wild with guacamole is when someone has to make it super spicy. Guacamole is there to have something cooling with your spicy enchiladas, etc. It absolutely ruins it for me if it is spicy. Avocado has to be in my top ten favorite foods. Winter is worth it because of avocados! Thank you for the great recipe, Deb! If it has avocado in it, it must be delicious!

Guacamole is so context sensitive and so I think that is the reason there is no “right” recipe. This sounds a little chunky for dipping – I’m in the slightly smushy school of thought. But garlic, red onion, bit of jalapeño, cilantro and lime as an appetizer. Just the chunky avocado with lime and salt when topping Mexican food that already has spice or cilantro as a contrast.

I learned to make it the traditional Mexican way( ex husband) tomatoes, garlic, ( some argue lemon) lime, onions, cilantro and a bit of jalapeño. I always have people ask me why my guacamole tastes so good, I think it’s lots of cilantro. That being said this version looks fantastic. I don’t like it too smooth and never with sour cream or mayonnaise. Who am I kidding ? I love avocados! I’ll pretty much eat them any chance I get. I look forward to trying this recipe! I know I’ve said it before, but you never let me down Deb!

I, too have strong opinions on guacamole (among other things!).
In Mexico they serve it as a foil to the hot spicy salsa so it’s always cool and creamy so as to quench the burn. So no jalepeno. Always lime. Skip the cilantro. It’s in the pico! A little onion for flavor and just slightly chunky.

I love avocados and usually eat them plain, in the shell, with a spoon — well, a squeeze of lemon if I have it — and some Kosher salt. I’ve never tasted guacamole or, if you want to really turn me off, GWOK. (So disrespectful.)

The first time I saw it made was by my boyfriend at the time, who squeezed the browning flesh from its shell, with a stem, into a bowl, and proceeded from there. I don’t know what happened next; he lost me with the stem.

But your recipe — the “salad version” of guacamole — that looks good! I’m game to try it, except for the cilantro. Cilantro tastes awful to me. But I could do the rest and I’ll bet it would be delicious. It could be my gateway guacamole.

Nice knife skills, Deb – look at that brunoise! Guacamole made by someone else’s hand is still guacamole and I’ll eat it regardless — yours is very similar to mine, but (egg on face) I do use seeded diced tomato in mine. My husband is in charge of the mandatory Margarita chaser.

I grew up watching my Mom read cookbooks like novels. Then she’d take something from each and make the most wonderful dinners! She would have loved your books, Deb.
So that’s how I will approach my guacamole for tonight; my fav recipe is from George Stella I’ll marry the best of yours -the lime dressing first, and his—a dab of sour cream but holding off on the garlic until I can’t help myself and mash a bit in anyway. Mom loved garlic, and her daughter does too.

I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to follow along on the low road. You New Yorkers lost all credibility on how to handle an avocado after the pea incident (which I attribute to your lot only having access to sub-par avocados). I say do as above, minus the onion, add one minced tiny garlic clove, and you don’t even need the jalapeño. Or that much lime. Perfection and the taste of the avocado is left alone to shine.

I always wonder what goes through Melissa Clark’s head over pea-gate… She actually published the recipe in 2013 and it’s not hers but a famous chef (Jean-Georges Vongerichten), who never called it authentic guacamole, nor did Clark, but just did his own wild version of it, as chefs always do. Then, over two years later, the internet (and presidents too) goes nuts over it and she becomes this pariah who doesn’t understand guacamole. [It probably doesn’t help that the way the NYT publishes recipes, the writer that wrote the article of it becomes the recipes’s “author” and not the chef who provided it, see here.] it Anyway, not here as a Pea Guac Apologist or anything, but it always did feel like one of those things where the reactive roar of the viral internet drowned out any nuance in the origin of the recipe.

I have to say, after writing this comment I proceeded to make guac for the first time in my new home in the Midwest (moved from CA). Unfortunately I discovered that you have to up the salt/garlic/lime to avocado ratio the farther you get from CA or Mexico. These avocados are sad!

Think: medium-firmness rubber ball. You have to press to get it to indent and it bounces back. Obviously an avocado won’t bounce back but you want one that feels firm until you press medium-firmly on it. And Pinky balls are the best! I just assume everyone had them growing up.

I do love cilantro in Guac and anything else it can possibly be added. I accidentally found a way to keep it from becoming the slimy mess before I can use it all. In lieu of a plastic bag, I stuck a bunch in a plastic storage container and lo and behold a month, maybe more, it is still fresh, dry and not slimy! Hope it works for others.

Hi Deb, I just wanted to tell you that every recipe I’ve tried from your cookbook has been a success! Tonight I’m making the wild rice gratin and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for including many vegetarian recipes.

I did make this but I did add roasted garlic which I roasted as a cut half a bulb and poured olive oil over the cut top, wrapped then entire thing in foil, tightly and roasted at 425 for 45 min. It was like toothpaste consistency and I squeezed some into the guac. not the entire half bulb. It was not pungent but sweet and a hint of maybe garlic or something else which was very nice. Roasted garlic is not the same animal as raw garlic. It’s different and very nice…mild.

I always use onions and garlic in my guacamole. To take some of the bite off I boil two cups of water, place the minced onion and garlic in a strainer, pour the boiling water over the mix and immediately rinse in cold water and drain. By the by I do use tomatoes but you have to get rid of the pulp and seeds before chopping them.

The one and only food blog I follow – so many great food ideas and fantastic writing. As a Scottish lass following your country’s news with increasing horror, I must admit to visiting on your page hoping you’d hint at something…and I think you have with a classic Mexican dish. Thank you and when he comes for a visit here I’ll be one of those out on the streets saying ‘no thanks’!

I thought, “that’s pretty basic, Deb.” Nonetheless, I had a couple of avos more than ready to go so I grabbed a white onion, lime and cilantro and threw together some imperfect guac. It was a revelation. I ate all of it. By myself. A whole batch. Alone.
The white onion seals the deal because its mild flavor lets the other ingredients shine through. I’ll have to double the recipe in the future in case it has to be shared.

I love your passion for the topic. It is a very personal thing. However, you must try swapping out the lime for lemon. It is so much better IMHO. Ever since I saw Eva Longeria’s insistence on lemon (and is of Mexican heritage), that is the way I roll. Just try it.

Oh dear. Oh dear dear dear. No garlic–can we still be friends? (Oh wait, we weren’t friends, but I kind of imagined we could be; although to be honest many of my “we could be friends” fantasies continue to focus on Michelle Obama. I bet she puts garlic in her guacamole. I know her husband disapproves of peas in guacamole. In my fantasies, Michelle and I often discuss our husbands’ food preferences.)

I am definitely behind Deb and the minimalists when it comes to guacamole! However, I do put in a leetle clove of mince garlic because I like it.

But I’m really here to argue that putting in any other fat dilutes the amazing flavor of the avocado. I would personally rather not eat guacamole at all than eat the kind with (in ascending order of unacceptability to my palate) olive oil, mayo, sour cream or (!) Greek yogurt in it. But hey, to each his own. I guess that leaves more guacamole for the people who love it that way…

I make my own tortilla chips too! I find it easier to fill a stock pot with an inch or two of oil, and dump a stack of cut tortillas in all at one. Then I smush them down with a spider wok. It should be bubbling like boiling water. After two or three minutes you can drain and salt them on a paper towel. This way I avoid the chewy centers!

These are the same ingredients and proportions we use, but I do a quick mash with my pastry blender. I am totally against tomatoes and garlic because I typically serve the guac right next to pico and there they are.

I made almost this exact recipe (sub red onion for white) for the super bowl yesterday. It was demolished before the halftime show began!
Your recipe is very similar to Chipotle’s recipe, they call for more onion though (which I don’t mind). I guess great minds guac alike :)

I make my guacamole with the same ingredients but backwards. I start with the avocado, sprinkle on the lime juice, toss. As I add the remaining ingredients I toss after each addition and between tossing and gently mashing against the side of the bowl, the very ripe bits get mashed and it remains as chunky as I like it. Taste it! If it’s bland, add a little salt and lime.

Yes! this is pretty much my go to way of making guacamole. I always add half a teaspoon of sugar, though. You don’t perceive the sweetness, but it binds the other flavours. also, for 2 avocados I wd use 1-1.5 limes.

Also, for another variation – caramelize the onion! – crazy but fantastic.

Okay, so I admit, I was pretty skeptical about this one. No tomato? But I thought, why not – avocados at Whole Foods were on a crazy sale (under $1 per avocado!) so I bought a bunch and made this guacamole for the Super Bowl party I went to. IT WAS A HIT. I think it was the unclutteredness and the ample lime juice. I also didn’t add jalapeno, because I didn’t have any, so it wasn’t spicy at all. Nice job, Deb.

I made these last night for the Super Bowl. I quadrupled the recipe and made the sauce first. Then I discovered that only 3 of the 8 avocados on hand were the right ripe! I tediously scooped the good out and trashed the overripe. The result was a guacamole that tasted delicious even if the texture left a bit to be desired .
It’s very forgiving!

Ah. I see we disagree on guacamole. I like it fairly smooth and I do put tomatoes in, but I have to say, I chop them SOOOO super fine that you wouldn’t know it exactly. Just adds a great little bit of flavor. I am an avocado fanatic. And a few years ago, I stopped buying them ripe at all. I now buy only the firmest greenest ones and wait for them to ripen at home. That way, no bruises from travel or other people squeezing them to check for ripeness. They’ll ripen in a few days and if they all ripen at the same time, pop them in the fridge at the peak of ripeness. They’ll last a week that way.

Thanks for this. A much-needed celebration of diversity and tolerance for others’ opinions, and at the same time an ode to our Mexican friends neighbors. I am taking this to be intentional, and enjoying it a lot. For what it’s worth, I once worked for a summer with a woman from Monterrey, Mexico, and she insisted that guacamole should have “the three colors of the Mexican flag.” This was the justification for adding chopped tomatoes, and white onion.

Chunky is the best! I don’t mash at all, just stir enough to break up the chunks. I don’t like raw onion so I use scallions. Other than that, though, this is how I do it. (Admittedly sometimes I do add some chopped grape tomatoes.) No garlic!

I made this for the superbowl – terrific! I always leave my guac simple, but this was even more simple (no garlic!!) and tasted great.

Funny story – a few weeks my mother-in-law handed me an avocado and asked me to make guacamole. I did, and put it on the table. We sat down to eat and she had fits because I left out her key ingredients…sour cream and cheap, grocery store salsa. Ew!

I am mexican and probably this is the best way for guacamole. Still variations are pretty good. In some areas they do the same and add fresh cheese(just get the cheesse and ripe it apart wirh tou hands and add to your mix. . You will think taste the same but not 😉

My husband and I also love to make our own chips, mostly because it prevents me from eating an entire bag of tostitos. We bake them on a foil lined sheet, spray with PAM and sprinkle salt and onion powder. They are crunchy and perfect, I promise.

Yummy. Your way is much closer to how they do it in Mexico, actually. Or at least, in Sayulita, which admittedly is a pretty gentrified little town thanks to the hordes of ex-pats who live there and the vacationers, like us, who escape there. But dang, that was the best guac I’ve ever had and we have been making it the Sayulita way ever since.

This is probably going to make you wince, but this is how we like guacamole: Peel avocados and place in bowl. Add just enough lime juice so it can barely be tasted, only in the smallest way. Add salsa (commerically made is fine. Our current favorite is Pace Picante Sauce, in a small amount. Smash with a fork. Taste. Adjust the lime and salsa as needed. It is not authentic, nor is it gourmet. But we like it, and it is quick to make.

Personally, I’m a big fan of white onion rather than red since it has a bit more intensity to it. I was wondering, has anyone ever tried making Guacamole with tomatillos? I have some cousin’s from Mexico city and they taught me their recipe which involves including as many tomatillos as avocados. Kind of a guacamole/salsa hybrid when finished but I’ve never tasted something so fresh.

That looks delicious, but my Mexican sister in law insists that the only correct way to make guacamole is to mash an avocado with salt. That’s it. Maybe a squirt of lime juice if you aren’t eating it immediately, but in what kind of crazy universe would you smash up an avocado and NOT eat it immediately?

I make a killer guac’. Mash with a fork a ripe avocodo so there are chunks, add some pico de gallo and mashed roasted garlic and lots of salt and a dash of Worchestershire sauce and a nice squeeze of lime juice. Mix and serve cold with chips and beer.

I’m a Texas girl and here is how I make Guacamole: With a fork, mash the avocado with lime juice and salt. That’s it. Delicious. Onion, tomato, jalapeno and cilantro are all in the Pico that I serve along with it. Once, I gave my Grandson sliced avocados with his supper. He wasn’t eating them so I asked him if he didn’t like avocados. Oh I like them he said, but I am used to eating them in guacamole. I reached over to his plate with a fork and smushed up his avocado slices. There, I said, guacamole!

Lisa; Try it with roasted garlic. I cut 1/3 of the garlic head off and pour olive oil over it and then salt and roast it in the toaster oven, wrapped in foil for 45 min at 425. It is the texture of tooth paste. This is what I use in my guac. I make it to taste.

This is delicious! thank you. We love the lime (and lots of it). My mother made a strange but very successful addition one year: instead of jalapenos, she used ground cumin (and lots of lime). Now we all love the cumin and lime combo too.

I love my guacamole clean. Nothing making it muddy looking! Just a beautiful green! Avocado left chunky, a little kosher salt, 1/2 of a squeezed lime per avocado, and maybe a touch of cayenne sprinkled in. This is how I had it made, at my table, in a restaurant in San Antonio. The freshest and best!

Ha! Hot sunny day in Northern Ontario at a friend’s cottage. BFF says without toms, I say with, so we have a contest…8 volunteer tasters. Sorry Debs, with toms won…even BFF had to agree mine was more….guacamole! Having said that, the best guacamole I have ever tasted I was in a restaurant in Utah called Cafe Diablo, and they did it your way. I do love lots of your recipes and do have 2 copies of your first book…one hardback and a kindle version which travels with me.